Seasoning with herbs, spices,and vinegars is a healthy way to enjoy great taste without salt.

healthy living Cooking With Herbs and SpicesENJOY GREAT TASTE WITHOUT SALT

HealtH education

Almost all spices, herbs, and vinegarsare low in sodium or are used in suchtiny amounts that they don’t add asignificant amount of salt to your food.

Strength of herbsStrong or dominant flavors: Theseshould be used with care since theirflavors stand out. Use approximatelyone teaspoon for six servings. Theyinclude bay, cardamom, curry, ginger,mustard, pepper (black), rosemary,and sage.

Medium flavors: A moderate amountof these herbs is recommended. Tryone to two teaspoons for six servings.Herbs in this category include basil,celery seed and leaves, cumin, dill,fennel, tarragon, garlic, marjoram, mint,oregano, savory, thyme, and turmeric.

Delicate flavors: These herbs may beused in large quantities and combinewell with most other herbs and spices.This group includes chervil, chives,parsley, and burnet.

Herbs and wine vinegarWine vinegars: These are excellentflavor boosters. Try them as a seasoningfor vegetables such as cabbage, greenbeans, cauliflower, and broccoli. Adash will do wonders for steaks, chops,and fish. They are also excellent inhomemade salad dressings.

Herb vinegars: Heat vinegar in anenamel pan, then pour it into a vinegarbottle and add one or several culinaryherbs (to taste). Any type of vinegarmay be used, depending on personalpreference. Do not let the vinegarboil. Let the mixture rest for twoweeks before using.

Herb blends to replace saltMany salt-free seasoning mixtures areavailable in your supermarket. It’salso very simple to make your own,using the recipes provided on theback of this page. These can be placedin shakers and used instead of salt.Store in air-tight glass containers. Labelwell. Add some uncooked rice grainsto prevent caking.

Potassium-based “salt substitutes”provide a “salty” taste to foods withless sodium than table salt. However,these may not be appropriate for peoplewith certain health conditions such asdiabetes, heart or kidney disease, orthose taking certain blood pressuremedications. Check with your doc-tor or registered dietitian to determineif these products are right for you.

What goes with whatSoup: Bay leaf, chervil, tarragon,

marjoram, parsley, savory,rosemary.

Poultry: Garlic, oregano, rosemary,savory, sage.

Beef: Bay leaf, chives, cloves,cumin, garlic, hot pepper,marjoram, rosemary,savory.

Lamb: Garlic, marjoram, oregano,rosemary, thyme.(Before roasting, makelittle slits in lamb andinsert herbs.)

Pork: Coriander, cumin, garlic,ginger, hot pepper, pepper,sage, savory, thyme.

Would you like to reducethe sodium in your diet

without giving up flavor? You’renot alone! Many of us willneed to make some changes tomeet the lower sodium recom-mendations of the 2010 USDADietary Guidelines.

You should limit your sodium toless than 1500 mg daily if you:• Are African American (of any age)• Are 51 or older• Have hypertension (high blood

pressure), diabetes, heart failure,or chronic kidney disease

For all others, less than 2300 mgof sodium each day is recom-mended.

Seasoning with herbs, spices,and vinegars is a healthy way toenjoy great flavor with less sodium.Experiment, taste, and let yourtaste buds be your guide.

healthy living Cooking With Herbs and SpicesENJOY GREAT TASTE WITHOUT SALT

Cheese: basil, chervil, chives,curry, dill, fennel, garlicchives, marjoram,oregano, parsley, sage,thyme.

Fish: chervil, dill, fennel, tarragon, garlic, parsley,thyme.

Fruit: anise, cinnamon, coriander,cloves, ginger, mint.

Bread: caraway, marjoram,oregano, poppy seed,rosemary, thyme.

Vegetables: basil, chervil, chives, dill,tarragon, marjoram,mint, parsley, pepper,thyme.

Salads: basil, chives, tarragon,garlic chives, parsley, sorrel.(These are best used freshor added to salad dress-ing. Otherwise, use herbvinegars for extra flavor.)

Italian seasoningbasil, marjoram, oregano, rose-mary, sage, savory, thyme

Barbeque seasoningcumin, garlic, hot pepper,oregano

French herbal combinationsFine Herbs: Parsley, chervil, chives,tarragon (sometimes adding a smallamount of basil, fennel, oregano,sage, or saffron).

Bouquet Garni Mixtures: Bay, pars-ley (two parts), thyme. The herbsmay be wrapped in cheesecloth. Oryou can wrap fresh parsley aroundfresh thyme and bay leaf.

Herb combinationsHerbs can be combined to enhancespecific foods. Having the combina-tions on hand will speed cooking andboost your reputation as a gourmet.They can be added loosely or wrappedin cheesecloth and removed beforeserving. Try the following herb combi-nations for:

Eggsbasil, dill, parsley

Fishbasil, bay leaf (crumbled), tarragon, lemon, thyme, parsley

Poultrymarjoram (two parts), sage (three parts)

Saladsbasil, parsley, tarragon

Tomato saucebasil, bay leaf, marjoram,oregano, parsley

Vegetablesbasil, parsley, savory

SALTLESS SURPRISE

• 2 tsp. garlic powder• 1 tsp. basil• 1 tsp. oregano• 1 tsp. powdered lemon rind or dehydrated lemon juice

Put the ingredients into a blender and mix well.

PUNGENT SALT SUBSTITUTE

• 3 tsp. basil

• 2 tsp. savory (summer savory is best)

• 2 tsp. ground cumin seed

• 2 tsp. celery seed

• 2 tsp. sage

• 2 tsp. marjoram

• 1 tsp. lemon thyme

Mix well and then crush to a fine powder with a mortar and pestle.

SPICY SALTLESS SEASONING

• 1 tsp. pepper

• 2 tsp. paprika

• 1 Tbsp. rosemary

Mix ingredients in a blender.

The above recipes use dried herbs. If you use fresh herbs, more will be needed; adjust quantities to taste.

Other resources

• Connect to our Web site at kp.orgto access health and drug ency-

clopedias, interactive programs,

health classes, and more.

• Contact your local Kaiser

Permanente Health Education

Center or Department for health

information, programs, and other

resources.

© 2008, The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Regional Health Education.

Adapted with permission from the Department of Nutritional Services, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan.

915800141 (Revised 7-11) RL 6.4

This information is not intended to diagnose or to take the place of medical advice or care you receive from your physician or other health care professional.If you have persistent health problems, or if you have additional questions, please consult with your doctor.